Thomas Schnauz

Thomas Schnauz
Thomas Schnauz
Born	1966 or 1967 (age 58–59); Kearny, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupations	Television producer; writer;
Years active	2001–present

Thomas Schnauz (born 1966 or 1967)^[1] is an American television producer and television writer. His credits include The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen, Night Stalker, Reaper, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.

Personal life

Schnauz was born in Kearny, New Jersey.^[2] He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1988, where he first met fellow student Vince Gilligan, who graduated the following year.^[3]^[4]

Career

Schnauz started his career in various production jobs. His first screenplay was called Spirits in Passing. He eventually joined Vince Gilligan on the writing staff of The X-Files and its spinoff show, The Lone Gunmen.^[3] He also co-wrote the screenplays for the 2008 film Otis and the 2008 television film Infected. In 2010, he re-teamed with Gilligan on Breaking Bad, where he remained through the show's 2013 conclusion.

Schnauz signed a two-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television in November 2014.^[5]

Schnauz served as co-executive producer on AMC's Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul.^[6] He has written and/or directed a number of its episodes including "Pimento", the penultimate episode of the show's first season, which received critical acclaim, as well as "Plan and Execution", the finale of the sixth season's first half that also received praise for Schnauz's writing.^[7]^[8]

In April 2015, it was reported that he had been tapped to write the screenplay for "a revisionist take" on "Jack and the Beanstalk", also to be produced by Vince Gilligan.^[9]

In 2019, Schnauz joined other WGA writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of packaging.^[10]

Filmography

Writer

Year	Show	Season	Episode title	Episode	Notes
2001	The Lone Gunmen	1	"Madam, I'm Adam"	6
	The Lone Gunmen	1	"Tango de los Pistoleros"	10
	The X-Files	9	"Lord of the Flies"	5
2002	The X-Files	9	"Scary Monsters"	14
2005	Night Stalker	1	"The Five People You Meet in Hell"	2
2007	Reaper	1	"What About Blob"	5
2007			"Ashes to Ashes"	9
2008			"Coming to Grips"	15
2009		2	"I Want My Baby Back"	5
2010	Breaking Bad	3	"One Minute"	7
2010		3	"Abiquiu"	11	Co-written with John Shiban
2011		4	"Shotgun"	5
			"Bug"	9	Co-written with Moira Walley-Beckett
			"End Times"	12	Co-written with Moira Walley-Beckett
2012		5	"Say My Name"	7	Also directed
2013		5	"Buried"	10
2014	Resurrection	1	"Unearth"	2
2015	The Man in the High Castle	1	"The Illustrated Woman"	3
	The Man in the High Castle	1	"Revelations"	4
	Better Call Saul	1	"Nacho"	3
		1	"Pimento"	9	Also directed
2016		2	"Switch"	1	Also directed
2016		2	"Fifi"	8
2017		3	"Witness"	2
			"Sabrosito"	4	Director only
			"Expenses"	7	Also directed
2018		4	"Breathe"	2
2018		4	"Winner"	10	Co-written with Peter Gould
2020		5	"Wexler v. Goodman"	6
2020		5	"Bad Choice Road"	9	Also directed
2022		6	"Carrot and Stick"	2	Co-written with Ariel Levine
			"Plan and Execution"	7	Also directed
			"Breaking Bad"	11
2025	Gen V	2	"Hell Week"	7

Production staff

Year	Show	Role	Notes
2001	The X-Files	Story Editor	Season 9
2002	The X-Files	Story Editor	Season 9
2005	Night Stalker	Executive Story Editor	Season 1
2006	Night Stalker	Executive Story Editor	Season 1
2007	Reaper	Co-producer	Season 1
2008		Co-producer	Season 1
2009		Producer	Season 2
2010	Breaking Bad	Producer	Season 3
2011		Supervising producer	Season 4
2012		Co-executive producer	Season 5
2013			Season 5
2014	Resurrection		Season 1
2015	Better Call Saul		Season 1
2016		Executive producer	Season 2
2017			Season 3
2018			Season 4
2020			Season 5
2022			Season 6
2025	Gen V	Executive producer	Season 2

Screenplays

Year	Title	Credit	Notes
2008	Infected	Writer	TV movie. Story by Tom Schnauz
2008	Otis	Writer	Co-wrote with Erik Jendresen

Awards and nominations

Schnauz has been nominated for Writers Guild of America Awards on six occasions, winning four times, for his work on the writing staffs of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. His Better Call Saul episode Plan and Execution won Best Episodic Drama in 2023 at the WGA Awards. Schnauz shared in the show's 2010 Dramatic Series nomination, and subsequent category wins in 2011, 2012^[11] and 2013,^[12] for his work on Breaking Bad. He was nominated again in 2015 and 2016 in the Dramatic Series category for Better Call Saul.

He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for the 2012 Breaking Bad episode "Say My Name" ^[13] and in 2022 for the Better Call Saul episode Plan and Execution ^[14]


Year	Award	Category	Show	Result
2010	Writers Guild of America Award	Best Dramatic Series	Breaking Bad	Nominated
2010	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2010	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama		Nominated
2011	Writers Guild of America Award	Best Dramatic Series		Won
2012	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2012	Writers Guild of America Award	Best Dramatic Series		Won
2012	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama		Nominated
2013	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series		Nominated
2013	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Won
2013	Writers Guild of America Award	Best Dramatic Series		Won
2013	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama		Won
2014	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Won
2014	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama		Won
2015	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series	Better Call Saul	Nominated
2015	Writers Guild of America Award	Best Dramatic Series		Nominated
2015	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama		Nominated
2016	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2016	Writers Guild of America Award	Best Dramatic Series		Nominated
2016	Producers Guild of America Award	Best Episodic Drama		Nominated
2017	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2019	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2019	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series		Nominated
2020	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2020	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series		Nominated
2022	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Drama Series		Nominated
2022	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series		Nominated

References

↑ "'X-Files' Episode Set in Stafford". The Asbury Park Press. October 14, 2001. p. AA3. One of the show's writers, Thomas Schnauz, 34, spent his adolescence in southern Ocean County and is a 1984 graduate of Southern Regional High School.
↑ Canessa Jr., Kevin (May 28, 2014). "From Kearny to Hollywood: How Thomas Schnauz made it big on the small screen". The Observer. Retrieved August 13, 2022. I spent a lot of time in Kearny when I was younger. I was born there...
1 2 "The Writers Room cast members". Sundance TV. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.^{[dead link]}
↑ "Credits". Alumni Magazine. No. 17. New York University. Fall 2011. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012.
↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 9, 2014). "'Breaking Bad's Tom Schnauz Inks Overall Deal With Sony TV, Joins 'Better Call Saul'". Deadline. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
↑ Littleton, Cynthia (December 20, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Writers Join 'Better Call Saul' Staff". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
↑ Bowman, Donna (March 30, 2015). "Better Call Saul: 'Pimento'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
↑ Sepinwall, Alan (March 30, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' - 'Pimento': Shut the door, have a seat". HitFix. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 22, 2015). "Disney, ' Breaking Bad' Creator Vince Gilligan Taking Another Whack At Jack And The Beanstalk". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ "Patton Oswalt, David Simon, Danny Zuker, More WGA Members Post Termination Letters". Variety. April 13, 2019.
↑ 2012 Nominees & Winners, Writers Guild Awards - Writers Guild of America, West Archived 2015-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
↑ 2013 Nominees & Winners, Writers Guild Awards - Writers Guild of America, West Archived 2015-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
↑ "65th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
↑ https://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/2022/outstanding-writing-for-a-drama-series

External links

Thomas Schnauz at IMDb

[1] "'X-Files' Episode Set in Stafford". The Asbury Park Press. October 14, 2001. p. AA3. One of the show's writers, Thomas Schnauz, 34, spent his adolescence in southern Ocean County and is a 1984 graduate of Southern Regional High School.

[2] Canessa Jr., Kevin (May 28, 2014). "From Kearny to Hollywood: How Thomas Schnauz made it big on the small screen". The Observer. Retrieved August 13, 2022. I spent a lot of time in Kearny when I was younger. I was born there...

[WritersRoom-3] 1 2 "The Writers Room cast members". Sundance TV. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.^{[dead link]}

[4] "Credits". Alumni Magazine. No. 17. New York University. Fall 2011. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012.

[5] Andreeva, Nellie (January 9, 2014). "'Breaking Bad's Tom Schnauz Inks Overall Deal With Sony TV, Joins 'Better Call Saul'". Deadline. Retrieved November 24, 2017.

[6] Littleton, Cynthia (December 20, 2013). "'Breaking Bad' Writers Join 'Better Call Saul' Staff". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2015.

[7] Bowman, Donna (March 30, 2015). "Better Call Saul: 'Pimento'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 26, 2015.

[8] Sepinwall, Alan (March 30, 2015). "'Better Call Saul' - 'Pimento': Shut the door, have a seat". HitFix. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.

[9] Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 22, 2015). "Disney, ' Breaking Bad' Creator Vince Gilligan Taking Another Whack At Jack And The Beanstalk". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[10] "Patton Oswalt, David Simon, Danny Zuker, More WGA Members Post Termination Letters". Variety. April 13, 2019.

[11] 2012 Nominees & Winners, Writers Guild Awards - Writers Guild of America, West Archived 2015-05-12 at the Wayback Machine

[12] 2013 Nominees & Winners, Writers Guild Awards - Writers Guild of America, West Archived 2015-09-01 at the Wayback Machine

[13] "65th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved April 26, 2015.

[14] ttps://www.televisionacademy.com/awards/nominees-winners/2022/outstanding-writing-for-a-drama-series

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v t e Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama
1960s	William Spier for "The Unhired Assassin" (1960) Barry Trivers for "The Fault in Our Stars" (1961) Howard A. Rodman and Kenneth M. Rosen for "Today the Man Who Kills The Ants is Coming" (1962) Lawrence B. Marcus for "Man Out of Time" (1963) Arnold Perl for "Who Do You Kill?" (1964) John D. F. Black for "With a Hammer in His Hand, Lord, Lord!" (1965) David Ellis for "No Justice for the Judge" (1966) Harlan Ellison for "The City on the Edge of Forever" (1967) Robert Lewin for "To Kill a Madman" (1968) Robert Lewin for "An Elephant in a Cigar Box" (1969)
1970s	David W. Rintels for "A Continual Roar of Musketry" (1970) Herb Bermann & Thomas Y. Drake & Jerrold Freedman & Bo May for "Par for the Course" (1971) Herman Miller for "King of the Mountain" (1972) Harlan Ellison for "Phoenix Without Ashes" (1973) Jim Byrnes for "Thirty a Month and Found" (1974) Stephen Kandel & Arthur Ross for "Prior Consent" (1975) Loring Mandel for "Crossing Fox River" (1976) Mark Rodgers for "Pressure Point" (1977) Seth Freeman for "Prisoner" (1978) Leon Tokatyan for "Vet" (1979)
1980s	Stephen J. Cannell for "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe" (1980) Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll for "Hill Street Station" (1981) Michael Wagner for "The World According to Freedom" (1982) David Milch for "Trial By Fury" (1983) Steven Bochco & Mark Frost & Karen Hall & Jeff Lewis & David Milch & Michael Wagner for "Grace Under Pressure" (1984) Georgia Jeffries for "An Unusual Occurrence" / Anthony Yerkovich for "Brother's Keeper" (1985) Debra Frank & Carl Sautter for "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" / Tom Fontana & John Masius & Bruce Paltrow for "Remembrance of Things Past" (1986) Georgia Jeffries for "Turn, Turn, Turn" / Debra Frank & Carl Sautter for "It's a Wonderful Job" (1987) Susan Shilliday for "Therapy" / Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick for "Pilot" (thirtysomething) (1988) Karl Schaefer for "Rolling" (1989)
1990s	John Sacret Young for "Souvenirs" (1990) Racelle Rosett Schaefer for "Photo Opportunity" (1991) Henry Bromell for "Amazing Grace" (1992) Tom Fontana & Frank Pugliese for "The Night of the Dead Living" (1993) Tom Fontana & David Mills & David Simon for "Bop Gun" (1994) Lance Gentile for "Love's Labor Lost" (1995) Bill Clark & Theresa Rebeck for "Girl Talk" (1996) René Balcer & Richard Sweren for "Entrapment" (1997) Bill Cain for "Proofs for the Existence Of God" (1998) Jason Cahill for "Meadowlands" (1999)
2000s	Rick Cleveland and Aaron Sorkin for "In Excelsis Deo" (2000) Tim Van Patten and Terence Winter for "Pine Barrens" (2001) Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin for "Pilot" (The Education of Max Bickford) (2002) Evan Katz for "Day 2: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m." (2003) Debora Cahn for "The Supremes" (2004) Lawrence Kaplow for "Autopsy" (2005) Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer for "Pilot" (Big Love) (2006) Terence Winter for "The Second Coming" (2007) Vince Gilligan for "Pilot" (Breaking Bad) (2008) David Foster, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, and David Shore for "Broken" (2009)
2010s	Erin Levy for "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" (2010) Vince Gilligan for "Box Cutter" / Henry Bromell for "The Good Soldier" (2011) Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner for "The Other Woman" (2012) Gennifer Hutchison for "Confessions" (2013) Robert King & Michelle King for "The Last Call" (2014) Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould for "Uno" (2015) Vera Herbert for "The Trip" (2016) Gordon Smith for "Chicanery" (2017) Alex Gansa for "Paean to the People" (2018) Will Tracy for "Tern Haven" (2019)
2020s	Miki Johnson for "Fire Pink" (2020) Tony Roche and Susan Soon He Stanton for "Retired Janitors of Idaho" (2021) Thomas Schnauz for "Plan and Execution" (2022) Georgia Pritchett and Will Arbery for "Living+" (2023) Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks for "Anjin" (2024) R. Scott Gemmill for "7:00 A.M." (2025)